Do airplanes fly smoother over the ocean?

Answer 1

Not really, but yes kind-of.

Generally speaking, flying over water means increased turbulence. This is due to the fact that water holds temperatures and also flows. The water in any area may be much warmer or much colder than the ambient air temperature, currents in the water mean that the water may also be much warmer or cooler in one place than just a few miles away. These fluctuations in surface temperature wreak havoc with the atmosphere above, and cause all sorts of nasty turbulence, updrafts, dowdrafts, storms, and unpredictable weather.

However, also generally speaking, since oceans are big, when an aircraft is flying over the ocean they are usually flying a very long distance as well. As a result, the pilot will of course fly the airplane at a much higher altitude where these problems dont exist. Higher altitudes means less air, which means less turbulence and a smoother ride.

So if youre in a little plane and youre only flying over about 20 miles of ocean, and not going very high, expect a bumpy ride. But if youre on an airliner about to cross the Pacific, it will probably be smooth as glass up at 30,000 feet.